The President of the Republic, Daniel Chapo, received on Wednesday, in an official ceremony, the Letters of Credence of three new ambassadors accredited to Mozambique: Satu Lassila, from Finland; Tran Thi Thu Thin, from the Socialist Republic of Vietnam; and Rostylay Tronenko, from Ukraine.

During the meetings, key issues on bilateral cooperation were addressed, highlighting areas such as education, digitalization, agriculture and support for the private sector.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Maria dos Santos Lucas, highlighted the historic relations between Mozambique and Finland. "The President of the Republic and the ambassador reviewed the cooperation and historical relations we have with Finland. There are many areas in which we cooperate with Finland, but today they identified areas that are vital for Mozambique, and one of them is education," she said, speaking to the press at the end of the ceremony.

Technical and vocational education was one of the central themes of the discussions, with Finland pledging to support the training of young Mozambicans to facilitate their entry into the job market.

"Finland is now also going to focus on education, but technical-vocational education, in order to give young people the opportunity to have a tool to then create their own job or be employed by the private sector," she said.

Another aspect highlighted at the meeting was digitalization, an area in which Finland is a world reference. The European country intends to support Mozambique in the modernization of administrative services and technological development.

Opportunities were also identified in agriculture and innovation.

Regarding cooperation with Vietnam, the minister underlined the history of collaboration between the two countries, with an emphasis on technical-vocational and vocational education.

"Vietnam has supported us in the area of education, and His Excellency the President of the Republic has emphasized the area of education, but technical-vocational and vocational education," he said.

Vietnam has also expressed interest in expanding cooperation in agriculture, as well as getting involved in the process of digitizing Mozambique's public administration. The Vietnamese private sector, already present in the country, intends to invest even more in the areas of mineral resources and agriculture.

In relation to Ukraine, the minister highlighted the country's contribution to training Mozambican staff, both at military and academic level.

"Ukraine has always trained our cadres, not only in the military, but also in classical education," he said, adding that even after the outbreak of the war, the country remained committed to the education of Mozambicans.

Cereal production was another important point in the discussion with the Ukrainian ambassador. "Ukraine is known around the world for its cereal production, such as corn, rice, wheat; so it was also a commitment that the ambassador had here with the President of the Republic so that they could work in this area of agriculture," revealed the minister.

At the end of the meetings, President Daniel Chapo exchanged views with the diplomats on the reforms underway in Mozambique, calling for support from European Union countries, including Finland, to promote inclusive dialogue in the country.

He also thanked the Heads of State of the three countries for their congratulatory messages on his election as President of the Republic of Mozambique.